Any ideas or opinions on the following topics:

Do you put your Z in a gear after you have parked, such as rowing to 1st after the car has been powered off?

Also, does anyone not trust the parking brake or take time to assure that it is engaged? Any sort of check to assure that it is engaged completely?

Thanks

 

i put it in 1st on flat pavement. and reverse if i'm parking on a hill/incline

 

On a flat surface, I only use the parking brake. On a incline, I put it in first and use the parking brake.

 

I keep it in 1st after I park, but imagine the problems if it gets towed!

 

+1, this is what I do as well. I only put it in gear whenever neccessary.

 

always put it in 1st and have the parking break on. I dont really trust the E brake on the Z. It makes weird noises and threatens to move all the time.

 

Mine is an automatic, so I only use my e-brake on hills...but they dont seem like they are that strong on the 350's.

 

Technically, what does putting the car in 1st gear do?

 

Also, keep in mind that in most states, it is illegal to park on hill w/out your e-brake engage AND turning your wheel accordingly.

 

Motor is OFF: car in gear.
Motor is ON: emergency brake.

 

Well if you technically have an auto start alarm system, it will take off when you start the engine!

 

i always park in gear. if u run the brakes hard and then park with the e-brake on, it can warp yer rear rotors. the only place i park with just the e-brake is in my garage and i only do like 3 clicks.

my friends dad parked in gear on a hill once and it gave out and the truck rolled down the hill.

i did it in my civic once before and my gear gave out too... sometimes i park in 5th to make myself feel cool.

 

Always, always put it in gear after powering off, and set the parking brake tight as I can!

 

Unless it's a tractor trailer. Then never park in gear.

 

1st + e-brake.

 

whats the difference between leaving it in 1st with the ebrake and leaving it in 6th or reverse with the Ebrake.

whats the best thing to do?

i try and do 6th for flat surfaces with the E brake. Reverse on incline with E brake.

 

Here's the reason why some people park in gear....
Its simple, why do you have different gears on the car to begin with? Well, you have different gears because all gears have different diameters. 1st and reverse have the smallest gear diameters. Thats why most people use those gears. Typically you dont use 5th or 6th gears because those gears are so large that your tires can still roll a little before the gear stops it from rolling. 1st and reverse have very little play if any. I don't park in gear because of the same thing a previous member mentioned....if you get towed or your car gets hit hard and is moved, your gear could be messed up.

 

Well if ur tranny does get messed up, you'd file a claim on the guy that hit ur car or the company that towed ur car.

 

I'm pretty sure on the Z the e-brake is a different, smaller independant brake - hence why it usually sucks butt at actually holding the car in place.. so i dont think you have to worry about it warping anything...


also, just something i remember from my driving test (i took it in a stick), was that when i parked the car the instructor mentioned that if I had NOT put it in gear AND pulled the ebrake like i did, i would have gotten a strike against me on the test.. this is PA by the way, so dont know if its the same everywhere, but so anyway that must mean they want you doing it.... but obviously it is a good backup to have it in gear if you dont want it rolling away by accident..

 

I agree with jrforrester on the ebrake warping rotors, warping usually occurs when you set hot pads or shoes on a hot drum/rotor. I don't think that is a problem with our semi independent drum ebrake, at least the shoes are never hot.

My driveway is an incline, if I don't put it in gear, it will be in the street in the morning.

If I remember right, if you use higher gears, the wheels can actually turn the motor over with the weight of the car on a hill. Its to late for me to remember exactly but I think the leverage is reversed when the torque is applied from the wheel side.

Chris